OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy of surgical treatment and the prognosis in gastric stump cancer patients.

METHODSBetween June 1994 and March 2004, 692 patients underwent radical operation for gastric cancer in our department. Among them, 22 cases were gastric stump cancer. Their surgical treatments, lymph node metastasis and survival were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSGastric stump cancer accounted for 3.2 % of all the gastric cancer cases in the same period. There were 4 cases of stage I, 2 cases of stage II, 6 cases of stage III and 10 cases of stage IIII respectively. Radical excision was 77.3% and combined evisceration was 50.0%. Total gastrectomy were performed in 21 cases and exploratory laparotomy in 1 case. Digestive tract was reconstructed with Roux-en-Y pattern after total gastrectomy. Radical gastric stump cancer excisions were finished with abdominal incision in 18 cases and with thoraco-abdominal incision in 4 cases. Lymph node metastasis rate was 63.6 %, including pN(0) 8 cases, pN(1) 6 cases, pN(2) 7 cases and pN(3) 1 case respectively. Average survival time was(80.2+/-17.2) months in stage I( and II( gastric remnant cancer; average survival time was(31.2+/-9.2) months in stage III( gastric remnant cancer, average survival time was (23.6+/-6.1) months in stage IIII( gastric remnant cancer, which were significantly different(all P<0.05). Between palliative operation group and standard radical excision, extended radical excision groups, well-moderate differentiated and poor differentiated adenocarcinoma groups, lymph node metastasis positive and negative groups, the differences were all significant.

CONCLUSIONSTotal gastrectomy and D(2) lymph node dissection are imperative for radical excision of gastric remnant cancer. On this base, extended lymphectomy and combined evisceration should be performed appropriately. Tumor stage, procedure pattern, lymph node metastasis and tumor differentiation affect the prognosis of patients with gastric stump cancer.